Mark Cavendish is definitely the knight with the fastest cycling acceleration. Since Wednesday evening he is also the cycling knight who set a brilliant record in the Tour de France. King Charles, it has already been announced, will knight the Briton later this year. When “Sir Mark” retires from cycling in the autumn, he will do so as the cyclist with the most stage wins in the history of the Tour de France.
The sprint victory in Saint-Vulbas was his 35th day victory in the Tour – now one more than Belgian legend Eddy Merckx. His ride into the cycling history books after 177 kilometers was typical of the “Manx Missile”: first invisible for a long time, then working his way forward from the depths of space with eye, instinct and assertiveness – and reaching top speed at the right moment. Ultimately, Cavendish was able to savour the victory with a one-bike lead over Jasper Philippsen.
“It’s just unbelievable. I always believed that it was still possible for me. Everyone can appreciate what the Tour de France means and what it means to cross the line first 35 times,” said Cavendish, emotionally shaken at the last great highlight of his career at 39 years and 43 days.
Project 35 has been accompanying the final arc of his career for quite some time. In 2021, the man from the Isle of Man was briefly included in the Tour squad and promptly achieved four stage wins – that made it 34.
Backbenchers of the peloton
But he missed the Grande Boucle the following year. In 2023 he switched to the Kazakh team Astana, one of the backbenchers in the peloton. On the eighth stage in Bordeaux he was in a promising position in the race before a defect in his bike slowed him down, and a day later he was lying on the asphalt with a broken collarbone after a fall. It was Astana boss Alexander Vinokourov who persuaded his star to postpone the planned end of his career.
With the promise to focus the entire team on the sprint star and his Project 35. For example, with the signing of Michael Morkov, who was considered the best lead-out man in the industry for many years due to his excellent navigation skills in the fast-paced tangle of legs. In addition, two other experienced tour specialists, Ballerini and Bool, were brought in to sprint Cavendish into position.
Recognition and appreciation
With the full focus on the 15th Tour of an ageing star who had only achieved two stage wins in lower-class events this year, team boss Vinokourov “took a risk,” said Cavendish. “We came here to do it and we really did it. All the preparation, all the work on the equipment, everything was aimed at today.”
Behind the finish line in Saint-Vulbas, almost half the peloton lined up to congratulate Cavendish on his record-breaking ride. A sign of recognition and appreciation for someone who, at the age of 39, is still at the forefront of this ultra-tough business.
This is recognition that, had Cavendish set the record at a younger age (in 2017 he had already won 30 Tour stages), he would not have received in this form. In his life of extremes, he has often rubbed people up the wrong way.
High-speed victory machine
In his dazzling career, he was sometimes a controversial figure, sometimes a fascination, but always a topic of conversation in the peloton. Be it
as a high-speed victory machine (Wednesday was his 165th victory), or as a cycling hooligan, as he was notorious among his opponents. Because the eccentric’s egocentric driving style often led to dangerous moments and even collisions.
Add to that his sometimes arrogant attitude when he is successful and his tendency to quick temper when he is defeated. However, the family man has shown a milder attitude in recent years.
From “pedal provocateur” to highly respected record holder. To achieve this, the 2011 world champion has recently overcome many obstacles – which shows how long he has been riding at the highest level.
In 2020, mononucleosis and depression, which he made public, almost ended his career, which had stalled considerably at the time. Incidentally, his career had a German foundation from 2005 to 2007 with a certain Team Sparkasse and then with T-Mobile. The way Cavendish struggled on the climbs on the first stages of this Tour before his last big hurrah and suffered on the Col du Galibier touched many spectators. In Saint-Vulbas, he was right there on point. “I’m not the strongest physically, so it helps if you can use your head,” he said. “I just went all in.” As he did so often in his life.
